The testimony of Micky Walker

Summer Madness Has Changed Me For The Best: Emma's Story

Not long before I went to Summer Madness I was a girl who didn't know who she was, I was lost in alcohol , drugs and depression. It was the Sunday night at Summer Madness that I was saved! Jasper was asking whoever wanted to become a christian for the first time to go up to the front and he would say a prayer with them. I really wanted to go up , like alot of times when people were going up for prayer too , but i was abit embaressed to be honest, I had never been to anything like it before yet I loved it . I felt like a frod though as i wasn't a Christian so i just stayed in my seat and said the prayer myself. A few minutes later I started to feel shivery and shakey so I told Nicola and she asked if it would be ok if she prayed with me. As she started to pray I felt this overwhelming feeling of Joy and Peace, I started to cry! ( it takes quite alot to make me cry lol ). They weren't sad tears though they where ears of joy! It felt As if it was Gods way of showing me that he was there , reasurring me that he really did exist! It was the strangest thing ( a good strange though! ).

From that night I have realised that the guilt I used to feel after a "Mad" night out was Gods way of "calling me". Since summer madness I have been trying to get to know more about christianity . I am so pleased that I went to summer madness and that My friend Rachel came with me as I wouldn't have went if she didnt go! I have taken home with me the most precious thing i could have and that is a realationship with God , Its going to need some building but i have the rest of m life to do that! =] I cannot wait to see what He has planned for me in the future. I know that this journey isin't going to be all fine and dandy but what I do know is that with god wth me every step of the way it will be that much easier.


Emma

Thought conditioners

I remember getting a little booklet when I was in my teenage years called 'Thought Conditioners' by Norman Vincent Peale. Each 'conditioner' was a verse from the Bible which was to settle your mind and set it on things above. It was accompanied by a little exposition by Dr Peale. To be truthful there was a time in my life when learning these verses off each day was a great help to me when I was facing a particular difficulty. I had been literally trying to 'lean on my own understanding'. I would encourage anyone who feels inclined to copy and paste these verses onto a document then learn off one each day.As always there is always a great satisfaction when memorising a piece of Scripture and often the Holy Spirit will bring it back to us when we are in need of it. Peace and Grace Ak.

Thought Conditioner No. 1
The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:27
Thought Conditioner No. 2
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
Thought Conditioner No. 3
Renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
Thought Conditioner No. 4
Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Thought Conditioner No. 5
What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
Thought Conditioner No. 6
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
Thought Conditioner No. 7
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10
Thought Conditioner No. 8
Confess your faults, one for another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
Thought Conditioner No. 9
If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31
Thought Conditioner No. 10
The kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21
Thought Conditioner No. 11
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 11 Timothy 1:7
Thought Conditioner No. 12
Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Psalm 73:24
Thought Conditioner No. 13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13
Thought Conditioner No. 14
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Thought Conditioner No. 15
He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20
Thought Conditioner No. 16
Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live. Isaiah 55:3
Thought Conditioner No. 17
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20
Thought Conditioner No. 18
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7
Thought Conditioner No. 19
I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11
Thought Conditioner No. 20
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. Psalm 62:5
Thought Conditioner No. 21
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9
Thought Conditioner No. 22
Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
Thought Conditioner No. 23
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power. John 1:12
Thought Conditioner No. 24
The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job 3:25
Thought Conditioner No. 25
This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Thought Conditioner No. 26
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, Romans 8:37-39
Thought Conditioner No. 27
If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. John 7:37
Thought Conditioner No. 28
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Matthew 5:44
Thought Conditioner No. 29
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
Thought Conditioner No. 30
In Him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts 17:28
Thought Conditioner No. 31
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. II Corinthians 5:17
Thought Conditioner No. 32
Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:23
Thought Conditioner No. 33
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Thought Conditioner No. 34
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. I Corinthians 2:9
Thought Conditioner No. 35
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22
Thought Conditioner No. 36
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee. Isaiah 26:3
Thought Conditioner No. 37
This is the refreshing. Isaiah 28:12
Thought Conditioner No. 38
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4
Thought Conditioner No. 39
When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any. Mark 11:25
Thought Conditioner No. 40
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Revelation 7:16-17

Surviving sexual and physical abuse-Terri's story

My life has been a journey from rejection to rejoicing. I grew up in eleven different homes, with eleven different guardians. I felt alone, depressed and unloved. A man sexually abused me when I was six years old, another man at age eleven, and a third at fifteen.
I was physically and emotionally abused as well. Searching for salvation, I turned to men at an early age, desperately trying to earn love. I pretended I didn't care as time after time I was dumped, used and rejected.

I Did Not Want to Exist
I was an A student in school, but I didn't care. I did not want to exist. I had to repeat my senior year to graduate because of excessive absences. I tried everything to numb the pain. I was addicted to alcohol by age fifteen and was shooting up cocaine by the time I was nineteen. For years, drugs controlled my life. I tried everything from marijuana to LSD.
My friends and I had one goal in life: to win the lottery so we could buy huge amounts of cocaine and shoot up until our hearts exploded. One day, I had so much cocaine in my system that my muscles would no longer work. I couldn't stand or lift my arms. I thought I was going to die. I remember watching my chest, waiting to see my heart bust right out of my clothes.

After almost dying, I tried to pull my life back together. I knew I was going to die if I didn't do something. I ran away from everything and tried to go back to school. Eventually, I was able to start college, but could not escape alcohol and depression. I barely finished my degree again because of so many absences. I was labeled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and severe depression.

My Life Was Hopeless
Bound in fear, I could barely function on my own. At times I would barricade myself in my home, too frightened to even look out the windows. I slept with furniture in front of my bedroom door and weapons under my pillow. I was sure somewhere, someone wanted me dead. I truly thought my life was hopeless.
In 1992 I visited a church and received Jesus as my Savior. For the first time, my life had hope. God delivered me from alcoholism. I married my boyfriend, and had two beautiful children. My life was still a struggle, dealing with depression and my husband’s drug addiction, but God gave me strength to survive. I finally had a desire to live, even though I lived in constant fear.

The Greatest Challenge of My Life
In 1998 I faced the greatest challenge of my life - the death of my two-year-old son. In desperation, I grabbed onto God with everything I had. God answered my cries. He began to change me. I learned to hear his voice, and gave him authority in my life. I realized that I didn't have to live as a victim any longer. He became my comforter. He healed me of mental illness and began to free me of fear. Life is still a struggle at times, but now I know that I truly can be victorious!



Terri's Bio
For 5 years, Terri focused on spiritual maturity. Then God called her into ministry. She became an intercessor and a servant. Since then, God has used her to speak prophetically and He has used her hands to bring healing to others. God has called her into prophetic evangelism and deliverance. Terri received her education through the Assemblies of God Urban Bible Training Center in Tampa, Florida, where she graduated valedictorian. She now runs Aiming High Ministries with her husband, Jody. As Terri pursued God's desire for her life, she became burdened with the huge number of Christians still living in bondage. She became determined to take her testimony of freedom to the churches as well as to the streets. Now, together with her husband, they challenge people to aim higher, throw off the victim mentality, and arise victorious! To contact Terri or for more information, visit Aiming High Ministries at http://christianity.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=christianity&cdn=religion&tm=16&gps=248_311_1276_604&f=00&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.aiminghighministries.com/

Personal Testimony by Zac Poonen of India

A Conversion story from Cork Harbour by Colin Jenkins

I had been asked to visit this Chinese ship by a colleague in Liverpool, because he said there was a Christian on board. This was very exciting for me as Chinese Christian seamen seem to be very rare.

So I visited the ship and asked if there were any Christians on board. They said no, but I was invited into the mess room (place for eating).

Later I asked about the man I'd been told about, so they brought him to me. We had a wonderful time chatting.

Fred (not real name) said that he had received a Bible (Chinese) in a Korean port and because he read it he thought that this made him a Christian. However, he had many questions and had no peace in his heart. He said it was so bad that he couldn't eat or sleep properly!

He said that he really needed to speak to a Chinese Christian to ask him the questions. Wonderfully I knew the leaders of the Chinese church in Cork and was able to bring my friend Jim (Chinese) to the ship. We then went back to Jim's house for fellowship and food.

Fred really enjoyed chatting to Joseph. Then one lady from the Chinese church said that we should pray. We had a lovely time of prayer and could really feel God's Holy Spirit with us. We sat in silence for perhaps 5 minutes enjoying the peace. Then Fred suddenly said "Now I know Jesus is alive!"

We were surprised and asked him how. He said that as we prayed, he could feel God's love coming to him. He said that this kind of love only exists amongst family members and that since we had opnly just met him this must be God's love!!!

Then he said something really profound. He'd had so many questions bothering him that he had no peace, and couldn't sleep etc...

Then he said "Questions can't do anything, but love can do everything!!"

God's love had reached his heart. In our culture we get so hung up on all the right questions and having all the right answers; on precision and being professional and knowing everything. However without love, knowledge (as it says in the Bible) just 'puffs up'. It's a waste of time without love. Love must be a (or perhaps the) mark of authentic mission.

Fred also began piecing together how God had answered his previous prayers! It was really amazing, and very moving. However he feared going back to the ship when he knew all the temptations and pressures from his crew-mates would surround him again. He asked us for some Christian music to encourage him.

Please pray for Fred who's wife laughed at him when he told her that he'd become a Christian.

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Another story of a lovely Christian Chinese seaman just sprang to mind.
This man told me that in 14 years sailing on Chinese ships he'd never met another believer. Their typical yearly contract last 10 months, with a 2 month vacation back home. Imagine how lonely this is away from family and unable to go to church or even meet another Christian!

This man told me that when he was little there was only 1 Christian family in their village. He was a very sick baby and the doctors told his parents that he was going to die. One old Christian lady in the village said that if the family became Christians then their baby son would be healed. The family agreed and miraculously he was healed! Praise God! Now there are many more Christians in the village.

Pray for this seaman who is often starved of fellowship, but clearly has a vibrant faith. It was such a blessing to meet him.

Multiple Conversions from Colin Jenkins of the Society of Christian frends of the Seamen

I can share a testimony of a Korean friend who came to Cork to learn English. She came with us to church to see what it was like. My wife held Korean Bible studies for students with three or four girls. Some of them became Christians and were even baptised. Sadly some others made comitments, but now seem to have fallen away again, possibly due to a lack of 'follow-up' or discipleship.

One of the girls said that before she became a Christian it was as if she was walking in a dark tunnel with no end in sight. She then said that since she became a Christian its like she's walking in the bright sunshine!

Another two girls said that before they became Christians they were skpetical of religion and thought that only weak people need religion. They believed in themselves and their own abilities. However they realised that they were rejecting Christianity without even giving it a chance. This infuriated one of the girls especially, and she one day found herself giving thanks to God in prayer!! She had been coming along to church with my wife Sunhwa and I, and one day the minister asked that if anyone wanted to become a Christian they could share in the communion service. Both girls joined, and it was clearly a significant day for them. Sometimes people who are away from home, or are foreigners in a strange land have much more open hearts to hear and believe the Good News of the Gospel. Seafarers are also like this.

Please pray for these girls who face opposition from family and friends now that they are back in Korea. Pray for them to settle in church and make many Christian friends.

Another friend of mine whom I met in Cork who comes from Burma has an amazing story. He had to flee Burma because it was dangerous to stay there, and he has recently been granted refugee status in Ireland. He (Mike) said that God brought him to Ireland. He originally intended to go to America. It's wonderful that God brought him to us. He had been coming to church a lot and has an open heart also. He came along to Bible studies and games nights, and also visited ships with me. He wanted to become a Christian, but wasn't really sure where to begin. One evening I had the joy of leading him in the 'sinner's prayer'. There has been a big change in his life. He was so excited about being baptised that the night before his baptism he told me he couldn't sleep, and he even had a vision of Jesus baptising him! He shared a powerful testimony during his baptism service. Please pray for Mike as he has had clear spiritual attacks since his baptism day. He also needs discipleship and good Christian friends.

Interestingly he commented on the lack of interest in church and the Bible in Cork. He contrasted this 'closed' heart with the open heart of seafarers. He himself has been a seaman before coming to Ireland. He said that if you gave someone in Cork a Bible (even if it was a gold-covered Bible) they wouldn't be interested or even read it. However he said that if you give a seaman one piece of paper (like a tract) they will read it 1000 times, even if they come from another religious background! I have found this to be true. Many seafarers are spiritually starving! Mike said that whenever a ship chaplain visited their ship it was as if God himself had paid them a visit!

In our days of post-modernism, relativism, individualism, religious skepticism, pluralism and aparent 'post-Christendom' God is moving silently! God works despite our selfishness and failings as his people the church to be 'salt and light' to our generation.

Before I go I would also like to share the amazing story of the Korean church! 100 years ago Korea was called the 'graveyard of Christian missionaries'. When I paid a visit 2 years ago we actually visited one missionary graveyard.

Today S.Korea is one of the biggest missionary-sending countries! An amazing transformation has ocurred! How could such a thing happen? The answer is PRAYER! "Prayer and fasting" one elder in the largest church in the world (Yoido Full Gospel - 800,000 members) told me is the key! The revival which happened in Ireland 150 years ago this year also began with prayer. However, not only prayer...

Each member of this amazing church witnesses to at least 1 person each day for Jesus. They also read 3 chapters of their Bible each day and spend 1 hour in prayer each day!

This may seem to regimented or legalistic to many here in our part of the world, but it speaks volumes to me about sacrifice, dedication, loyalty, service and faithfulness. Perhaps words which we feel a little uncomfortable with, but words which should characterise the Christian life. Let's be inspired onto greater service and sacrifice by our dedicated brothers and sisters in Korea. In all the churches every day they have early morning prayer meetings before the days' work. These begin at 5, 6, 7, 8am! Then people go and do their days work! On Friday nights there is usually an all-night prayer meeting!

Christians in Korea take their faith seriously and put God in the only place he wants to be - 1st place!
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